US economy showing strength as spending cuts loom WASHINGTON (AP) — Even with automatic spending cuts looming, the outlook for the U.S. economy brightened a bit Tuesday after reports showed that Americans are more confident and are buying more new homes. Home prices are also rising steadily, and banks are lending more. Such improvements suggest that the economy is resilient enough to withstand the deep government cuts that will kick in Friday. That’s especially encouraging because uncertainty...

Auction of recluse’s gold nets $3.5 million CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The tale of a mysterious Nevada recluse’s gold reached a new chapter Tuesday when a portion of the trove raked in more than $3.5 million at auction. It was the allure of mystery that pulled some bidders to the courtroom, but for others, it was the sheer value of a collection unknown to the public before Walter Samaszko Jr. was found dead in his modest ranch-style home last year. Regardless of motivation, those who conv...

Court appears conflicted over DNA sampling issue WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday struggled with what one of the justices called its most important criminal procedure case in decades, whether to let police take DNA without a warrant from those arrested in hopes of using it to solve old cases. Justices seemed conflicted over whether police have a right to take genetic information from people who have only been arrested without getting a judge’s approval first, or if the governme...

Panel questions value of calcium, vitamin D pills WASHINGTON (AP) — Popping calcium and vitamin D pills in hopes of strong bones? Healthy older women shouldn’t bother with relatively low-dose dietary supplements, say new recommendations from a government advisory group. Both nutrients are crucial for healthy bones and specialists advise getting as much as possible from a good diet. The body also makes vitamin D from sunshine. If an older person has a vitamin deficiency or bone-thinning osteop...

Report of boat sinking off California possible hoax SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — The Pacific Ocean either swallowed an adventurous couple and two young children aboard a sailboat off the Monterey coast this week, or someone played a cruel hoax that wasted Coast Guard resources and tugged at the hearts of coastal residents over two days of desperate searching. The Coast Guard on Tuesday called off the search for a boat that reportedly sank in rough seas far off the Central California coast, saying ...

Kelly wins Democratic nod for ex-Rep. Jackson Jr.’s seat CHICAGO (AP) — Former Illinois legislator Robin Kelly captured the Democratic nomination Tuesday in the race to replace disgraced ex-U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., after a truncated campaign season where she got a boost from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s super PAC. The nomination all but assures that she’ll sail through the April 9 general election and head to Washington, because the district is overwhelmingly Democratic. The Republica...

DHS releasing illegal immigrants before sequester WASHINGTON (AP) — A week before mandatory budget cuts go into effect across the government, the Department of Homeland Security has started releasing illegal immigrants being held in immigration jails across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday. Gillian Christensen, an ICE spokeswoman, said ICE has reviewed “several hundred cases” of immigrants being held in jails around the country and released them in the last week. ...

BP executive testifies at Gulf oil spill trial NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A ranking BP executive testified Tuesday that the London-based oil giant and its contractors share the responsibility for preventing blowouts like the one that killed 11 workers and spawned the nation’s worst offshore oil spill in 2010. Lamar McKay, who was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, became the first BP executive to testify at a federal trial intended to identify the causes of BP’s...

Dorothy Hamill and Andy Dick among ’Dancing’ stars NEW YORK (AP) — A gold-medal figure skater, a country music legend and a kooky comedian are stepping their way onto “Dancing With the Stars.” ABC says Dorothy Hamill, Wynonna Judd and Andy Dick are among 11 contenders for the mirrored ball on the new season of the celebrity dance competition. Other famous faces in the show’s 16th edition include standup comic and actor D.L. Hughley, Baltimore Ravens football player Jacoby Jones and former “Ame...

Bernanke signals continued support for low rates WASHINGTON (AP) — Ben Bernanke sent a message Tuesday to Congress: The Federal Reserve’s low-interest-rate policies are giving crucial support to an economy still burdened by high unemployment. The Fed chairman acknowledged the risks of keeping rates low indefinitely. But he expressed confidence that such risks pose little threat now. Delivering the Fed’s semiannual monetary report to Congress, Bernanke sought to minimize concerns that the cen...

Advanced breast cancer edges up in younger women CHICAGO (AP) — Advanced breast cancer has increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests. The disease is still uncommon among women younger than 40, and the small change has experts scratching their heads about possible reasons. The results are potentially worrisome because young women’s tumors tend to be more aggressive than older women’s, and they’re much less likely to get routine screening for the disease. Still, that do...

Billionaire launches plans for Titanic replica NEW YORK (AP) — What could possibly go wrong? An Australian billionaire is getting ready to build a new version of the Titanic that could set sail in late 2016. Clive Palmer unveiled blueprints for the famously doomed ship’s namesake Tuesday at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York. He said construction is scheduled to start soon in China. Palmer said 40,000 people have expressed interest in tickets for the maiden voyage, taking t...

Music, movie industry to warn copyright infringers WASHINGTON (AP) — Internet users who illegally share music, movies or TV shows online may soon get warning notices from their service providers that they are violating copyright law. Ignore the notices, and violators could face an Internet slow-down for 48 hours. Those who claim they’re innocent can protest — for a fee. For the first time since a spate of aggressive and unpopular lawsuits almost a decade ago, the music and movie industries are...

C. Everett Koop, ’rock star’ surgeon general, dies NEW YORK (AP) — Dr. C. Everett Koop has long been regarded as the nation’s doctor— even though it has been nearly a quarter-century since he was surgeon general. Koop, who died Monday at his home in Hanover, N.H., at age 96, was by far the best known and most influential person to carry that title. Koop, a 6-foot-1 evangelical Presbyterian with a biblical prophet’s beard, donned a public health uniform in the early 1980s and became an enduring...

NY wife: Officer wanted to kill me, eat others NEW YORK (AP) — The estranged wife of a police officer struggled to keep her composure Monday as she testified about discovering shocking online chats and other evidence on his computer showing he had discussed killing her and abducting, torturing and eating other women. “I was going to be tied up by my feet and my throat slit, and they would have fun watching the blood gush out of me because I was young,” Kathleen Mangan-Valle told a Manhatta...

10 Things to Know for Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. EGYPT BALLOON ACCIDENT KILLS 18 TOURISTS Nine tourists from Hong Kong were among the victims of the crash of the hot air balloon into sugar cane fields near the ancient city of Luxor. 2. DOOMSDAY PREDICTIONS FOR AUTOMATIC BUDGET CUTS Obama is drumming up public concern with predictions of lost military resources, jobless benefits and vita...

$2.8B damages in 2011 Mississippi River flood MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Mississippi River flooding of 2011 caused $2.8 billion in damage and tested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' system of levees, reservoirs and floodways like never before, exposing vulnerabilities that need attention, a report released Monday said. The report from the corps said the flood hit 119 counties in the lower Mississippi River states of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tenne...

10 Things to Know for Monday, Feb. 25, 2013Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. 'ARGO,' 'LIFE OF PI' BIG OSCAR WINNERS Ben Affleck's CIA thriller won best picture, while "Life of Pi" won four trophies, including best director for Ang Lee. 2. STATE-BY-STATE FALLOUT FROM BUDGET CUTS The White House detailed the impact from $85 billion in cuts set to take effect at week's end. 3. A DATE FOR END OF CASTRO ERA Raul Castro...

'Argo' wins best picture on scattered Oscar nightLOS ANGELES (AP), Just as Oscar host Seth MacFarlane set his sights on a variety of targets with a mixture of hits and misses, the motion picture academy spread the gold around to a varied slate of films. "Argo" won best picture as expected, along with two other prizes. But "Life of Pi" won the most awards with four, including a surprise win for director Ang Lee. "Les Miserables" also won three Academy Awards, while "Django Unchained" and "Sky...

Oscars have clear favorites, wild-card MacFarlaneLOS ANGELES (AP) — Some firsts and other rarities are possible at Sunday night's Academy Awards. But if the Oscars could be just a little less predictable, the show might really be one for the record books. Ben Affleck's "Argo" looks like it will uniquely claim best picture without a directing nomination, while "Lincoln" filmmaker Steven Spielberg and star Daniel Day-Lewis are favored to join exclusive lists of three-time Oscar winners. If som...